All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
11 years old
staring at the yellow girl
crunching cheerios
lock-jawed cow chewing cud
Her spine
pushes through
tissue paper skin
tube through the nose
wading through mucus
dried blood
and vanilla protein shakes
11 at night
feet hit the floor
mind crazed with exercise
and chocolate cake
Joel the pole on wheels
with plastic lungs
clothes collapse--
a tiny bum
sinking
into the sofa’s flesh
11 years old
keeps time
with steps down
endless hallways
cold showers
and cracked souls
the empty basketball court
all weeds and gray air
walking on stilts
around its hollow corners
the older girls
suck tobacco sticks
and welcome death
because it’s here
because it’s everywhere.
What the hell
is an eating disorder anyway?
It’s 11 years old
stuck in a suffocating space
where monsters won’t scream
loud enough
to ignite fear
and burn hunger
inside a thousand walking skeletons
sitting alone
staring at walls
and measuring
the circumference
of bones.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.